The world's weirdest airplanes

February 21, 2013 |By AUBREY COHEN

Most of these odd innovations didn't pan out

Michael Katzmann/Wikimedia Commons

5of34

The Horten 229 was a German prototype flying wing fighter/bomber during World War II. It conducted test flights in 1944 and 1945, but the war in Europe ended before it could become operational. This is the sole surviving airframe, which the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is restoring.

Michael Katzmann/Wikimedia Commons

5of34

The Horten 229 was a German prototype flying wing fighter/bomber during World War II. It conducted test flights in 1944 and 1945, but the war in Europe ended before it could become operational. This is the sole surviving airframe, which the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is restoring.